Bootloader crash via freed TCP connection reuse
Published Sep 29, 2026 · Updated Sep 29, 2026
Use-after-free in U-Boot's lwIP wget before 2026.10-rc5 allows context-dependent attackers to crash the bootloader during an HTTP download. On a failed data store, httpc_recv_cb() aborts and frees the TCP connection PCB but returns ERR_BUF, so the TCP input path accesses released memory. The fault requires lwIP wget to be enabled and a storage failure; the upstream patch does not establish that a network peer can force that failure.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in U-Boot's lwIP wget before 2026.10-rc5 allows context-dependent attackers to crash the bootloader during an HTTP download. On a failed data store, httpc_recv_cb() aborts and frees the TCP connection PCB but returns ERR_BUF, so the TCP input path accesses released memory. The fault requires lwIP wget to be enabled and a storage failure; the upstream patch does not establish that a network peer can force that failure.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-74222
- Published
- Sep 29, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 29, 2026
- Vendor
- DENX Software Engineering GmbH
- Product
- U-Boot
- Classifications
- T1499.004
- Attack vector
- Unavailable
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 29, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 29, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0 <2026.10-rc5
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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